1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to distribution of electricity and, more particularly, to a voltage distribution box.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles having an electric, battery driven motor are increasingly emerging in the marketplace. One type of current high voltage distribution box for an electric vehicle, used in the General Motors EV vehicle, is built using existing non-automotive components. Because the components used were not designed for vehicle applications, final assembly of the distribution box must be made on the vehicle assembly line. This assembly process requires at least four different tools and a minimum of five assembly steps per electrical cable connection. This makes the design very labor intensive and prone to reliability issues. Although the current design minimizes tooling requirements for manufacturing the distribution box, assembly of the distribution box with the electrical cables is slow and is not scalable to high volumes.
There is a desire to provide a high voltage distribution box which overcomes these problems. There is a desire to reduce assembly costs associated with a high voltage distribution box in an electric vehicle. There is also a desire to eliminate wires within an electric vehicle high voltage distribution box. There is also a desire to provide an electric vehicle high voltage distribution box which requires less space, uses fewer components, and increases reliability by eliminating hard to control hand assembly operations. There is also a desire to provide an electric vehicle high voltage distribution box which enables circuit fuses to be incorporated into the box without increasing space or complexity.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an electrical distribution box is provided including a housing and a lead frame assembly. The lead frame assembly is located in the housing. The lead frame assembly includes bus bars and an over molded frame which has been over molded onto the bus bars to connect the bus bars to each other.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle high voltage electrical distribution box is provided including a housing adapted to be mounted to a vehicle and having holes for conductors to pass therethrough; and a lead frame assembly located inside the housing. The lead frame assembly includes a plurality of electrical bus bars; and a molded frame permanently and stationarily connecting the bus bars to each other.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an electric vehicle high voltage electrical distribution box is provided including a housing adapted to be mounted to a vehicle, a lead frame assembly, and electrical fuses. The lead frame assembly is located inside the housing. The lead frame assembly comprising electrical bus bars, a frame over molded onto the electrical bus bars, and electrical fuse terminals connected to the bus bars. The electrical fuses are removably connected to the electrical fuse terminals.